A STUDY ON WEAR AND EROSION PROPERTIES OF RAIL STEEL

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Introduction:
Steels represent the most important group of engineering materials as they have the widest diversity of applications of any of the engineering materials. Generally, carbon is the most important element profoundly affecting the mechanical properties of the steels. The term steel is used for many different alloys of iron. These alloys vary both in the way they are made and in the proportions of the materials added to the iron. All steels, however, contain small amounts of carbon and manganese.


Steps for planned project work:
 Heat treatment of samples having dimensions 6.35 x 6.35 x 9 mm
 Material characterization by Optical microscopy and phase analysis of one of the samples from each heat treated types
 Determination of hardness of one of the samples from each heat treated types
 Study of wear property of the samples from each heat treated types at varying loads at constant speed having dimensions 6.35 x 6.35 x 9 mm by wear test and vice versa


3.2 Specimen preparation:
Wear Test Samples:
Samples from rail steel was cut into dimensions of (6.35 x 6.35 x 9) mm. Then cutting samples were put in the furnace at 900°C for 1hour. Then the specimens were water quenched. After that, they were again put in the furnace at 550°C for 2.5hour. The samples were cooled in the furnace. Then the samples were polished for carrying out the test.